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Whats everyone reading?

Started by Paul faplad Finch, 30 March, 2009, 10:04:36 PM

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HOO-HAA

Quote
I used to love Herbert when I was younger and read these many times.
He's run out of ideas though, and has been writing the same bloody story for the past half dozen books.

Oh- and avoid The City, the GN he did with Ian Millar. It's supposed to be a fourth Rats book, but is, in fact, rubbish.

To be honest, The Rats was the first Herbert book I read - and I only read it fairly recently. I liked the concept, but didn't realise he'd written sequels until a few weeks back. His writing is very accessible and for that I enjoy it. He also takes time to flesh out the characters (often just before he kills them - which is a tad annoying).

Back at school, you were either a King reader, Herbert reader or Shaun Hutson reader. I chose King and have read a lot of his novels through the years. I like his character development (second to none) but would fire his editor - the man needs someone to power-down the word count.

I'm really enjoying Domain. Alas, I'll probably pick up The City, now you've brought it to my attention :) I did try to read that Crickley Manor book but failed at the first chapter. Just wasn't grabbing me at all...

Richmond Clements

QuoteBack at school, you were either a King reader, Herbert reader or Shaun Hutson reader.

Too true!

I'm a King reader now... Hutson was fucking appalling.

QuoteAlas, I'll probably pick up The City, now you've brought it to my attention

Don't say I didn't warn you!

QuoteI did try to read that Crickley Manor book but failed at the first chapter. Just wasn't grabbing me at all...

His last few books have basically been the same haunted house story, and every bloody one ends with some sort of elemental catastrophe- be it a flood or fire.
I think the last book he did that I thought was worth anything was The Ghosts of Sleath, although Nobody True was a great high concept.

pauljholden

I've just ordered up "Thor" vol 1 and "Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin" - though I shant be reading either, mostly I'll be staring and going 'OOHH' 'AAAHH' at the lovely pictures...

-pj

Kerrin

Received "The Wind's Twelve Quarters", a collection of short stories by Ursula LeGuin, and "Coward; Criminal vol 1" by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips in the post today. Supoib.

And Amazon tell me "The Scorpion, vol 3; The Holy Valley" is en route, even supoiber.

Dandontdare

I used to love Herbert. Formulaic maybe, but it was a good formula. My copies of The Rats, Lair and Domain were much in demand at school, everyone borrowed them. When laid down, each one would instantly flop open to the graphic sex scene that he always included.

Kerrin

Quote from: Dandontdare on 04 May, 2010, 10:10:28 PM
When laid down, each one would instantly flop open to the graphic sex scene that he always included.

:lol: Yep, hold "The Rats" up by it's spine to easily find the pages where there's shagging and then some poor chap gets his feet chewed off.

Roger Godpleton

QuoteHe whisked off her shoes and panties in one movement, wild like an enraged shark, his dusky totem beating a seductive rhythm. Mary's body felt like it was burning, even though the room was properly air conditioned. They tried all the positions, On Top, Doggie and Normal. Exhausted, they collapsed onto the recently extended sofabed.

Then, a Hellbeast ate them.
He's only trying to be what following how his dreams make you wanna be, man!

HOO-HAA

Quote from: Richmond Clements on 04 May, 2010, 01:24:00 PM
QuoteBack at school, you were either a King reader, Herbert reader or Shaun Hutson reader.
... Hutson was fucking appalling.


That was the joke even back at school. We used to read Hutson aloud, giggling. His thing was to go for the graphic violence, sex, the works. All very appealing to some of us twelve year olds, at the time. Is he still writing?

Quote from: Dandontdare on 04 May, 2010, 10:10:28 PM
I used to love Herbert. Formulaic maybe, but it was a good formula. My copies of The Rats, Lair and Domain were much in demand at school, everyone borrowed them.

I'm really impressed, thus far, by Domain. There's nothing fresh there at all, but it is very accessible and, therefore, enjoyable.

QuoteWhen laid down, each one would instantly flop open to the graphic sex scene that he always included.

haha! Loving Roger's 'excerpt' by the way!  :lol:

Hoagy

#1163
Okay.. I picked up Kick Ass (now a major motion picture!) Batman, The Black Glove and LOEG 1910.

Half way through the latter two and a page into the first.

I kind of like Herbert's change of pace with Sepulchre.

Rats I never got my teeth into and Shaun Hutsons riding of that cfertain camel's back cerainly convinced me not to go there. I read the Dark and Fluke too. I always wanted to read the Spear.
"bULLshit Mr Hand man!"
"Man, you come right out of a comic book. "
Previously Krombasher.

https://www.deviantart.com/fantasticabstract

O Lucky Stevie!

Quote from: Kerrin on 04 May, 2010, 07:44:51 PM
Received "The Wind's Twelve Quarters", a collection of short stories by Ursula LeGuin, and "Coward; Criminal vol 1" by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips in the post today. Supoib.

Stevie's quite envious of you there Kerrin, reading both Le Guin & Coward for the first time.

I'm 130 pages into Reynold's Terminal City & am quite pleased to report that the tone is more akin to the more recent material of Zima Blue than the cosmic New Space Opera of his mostly excellent Revelation Space novels.* A cracking treat.


* Redemption Ark was quite a trainwreck though, wasn't it?
"We'll send all these nasty words to Aunt Jane. Don't you think that would be fun?"

Paul faplad Finch

ASTERIX.

Read a few of these when I was a kid but never a) got a lot of the jokes and b) realised how many of the buggers there actually are.

I never knew I wasn't getting the jokes of course, which is part of the beauty of the series I suppose.

Anyway, came across a big pile in the Library - possibly the same copies I was borrowing 25 years ago judging by the tattered state of some of them - and grabbed the first 4. Loving them. Will probably try to read the lot now.

I could probably look up some reviews but what the hell, I trust the opinions on here so I was wondering, given that the series seems to run for so long, is there a point where it's kind of agreed that it goes off the boil? Any unnessential ones I shouldn't worry to much about if the Library hasn't got them?
It doesn't mean that round my way
Pessimism is Realism - Optimism is Insanity
The Impossible Quest
Musings Of A Nobody
Stuff I've Read

Colin YNWA

Arh man you're on one of my favourite topics I LOVE Asterix some of the finest comics every produced. If you're reading old copies with the titles carved out of a menhir Obelix is carrying then the order isn't the same as the books were produced. A chronological list can be found here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Asterix_volumes

All the books have something to offer but for me they are really at a peak between 'Legionary' and 'Obelix and Co'. With 'Asterix and the Soothsayer' being my favourite. The books after Goscinny's death (Great Divide onwards) aren't a patch on the ones he wrote though I do have a soft spot for 'Black Gold'. The later one's are nice to look at still but the stories are pretty much all over the place.

James Stacey

yep they went down hill at around '& Son' and the recent crop have been mediocre at best, although as Colin says, they still look good. Some of the original ones have been re-released recoloured I think to make up for some of the, lets say interesting, colour pallets used for the first few. Worth checking out

HOO-HAA

#1168
Asterix was great! It was my first introduction to the word 'orgy' as I recall. In fact, I have very early memories of asking my red-faced father what the word 'orgy' meant. 'It's just another word for big party', he said. :)

Colin YNWA

Yeah there's bit in 'Asterix in Switzerland' that looking back I really wasn't getting... and that's no bad thing!